Volunteering with children doesn’t have to be difficult, but there are some additional factors to consider. Here are some tips for making family volunteering a valuable and positive experience for everyone.
Make volunteering fun
Find a volunteer opportunity that fits with your child’s personality and interests. If you have a very social child, consider helping with an activity at a nursing home or ringing bells for the Salvation Army. If your child loves animals, ask about opportunities at your local Humane Society. The better a volunteer opportunity fits with your family dynamics, the better the experience will be for everyone.
Check out what is available
Not every volunteer opportunity is family-friendly. Some may be too dangerous, last too long for a small child, or require more skill than most kids have. Many organizations have minimum age requirements for volunteers that make volunteering with small children more difficult. Our Volunteer Center website allows you to search only for opportunities available to families through our advanced search option. You can also contact the Volunteer Center directly for suggestions.
You can also look for seasonal opportunities, like the Salvation Army’s bell ringing campaign, charity walk/runs, or annual events and fundraisers.
Create your own opportunity
If you can’t find an existing volunteer opportunity that works for your family, you can always create your own. Have your kids help with a garage sale or lemonade stand, then give the proceeds to a favorite charity. Or ask neighbors if your family can help them rake leaves or do yard work. Volunteering doesn’t need to be “official” to make an impact.
Grow your efforts
When kids have a positive volunteer experience, they often leave wanting to do more. Think about who else you can get involved. Consider asking your extended family to collect travel-sized toiletries for the local Crisis Center. Or for your child’s next birthday party, ask each guest to bring one canned food item to donate to the Food Bank.
Keep it simple
Volunteering doesn’t have to be time-consuming or complicated. Ask your child to help pick out a few favorite canned food items for the next community food drive. Or have your kids help pick up litter the next time you go for a walk. These are opportunities to talk to kids about why helping others is important without taking too much time from a busy family’s schedule.
Reflect on the experience
Discuss your volunteer experience with the whole family. How did everyone feel about his or her experience? What did they learn about the community? What would they like to do next? Talking about the experience helps kids understand the importance of what they accomplished and may give you a good idea for your next family volunteer project.